Challenges Loom for the 2017 Deer Season

This 2017 winter has been extremely challenging for our coming deer season. Snowfall is 170-200% of normal. To make matters worse, we had two layers of ice that were in that snowpack and they kept the ridges from blowing open. Also, we received extreme temperatures down to -50° F. On one 24 hour period it went from -40 to +40° above and rained 2 1/2 inches. Needless to say, the winter has tapped out the fat reserves on our deer. We are going to lose this year’s fawn crop; they are dropping like flies.

We’ve lost a lot of older deer as well. Winter is not yet over, but we are having some March warm ups right now and the winter grounds are melting fast. We are going to see antler growth being impacted on the deer that survive this year and potentially could lose more deer, depending on the weather next month. If you are booked with us this year and have interest in moving out to a future year, give us a call so that we can discuss your options with you. There are always good deer that survive the winter, though the numbers are less. We took Magnum the fall immediately after the last hard winter, but as we all know, Magnum was an anomaly.

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About The Author

Brenda Wiley

Dr. Brenda Wiley along with her wonderful family, makes her home in the mountains of western Wyoming. Brenda is a veterinarian and full time mom. She lives her passion, helping to provide you hunting and outdoor opportunities in the Wyoming high country.

If you are not a current or past client of ours and you would like to hunt mule deer with us in the future, here are the ways in which you can do that.

You can take a shooting class.

Book an elk or antelope hunt.

Book one of our shooting class/hunt combos.

We offer at least three shooting classes each summer. We are booking elk and antelope hunts for next year. We are also offering many different shooting class/hunt combos both in the spring (for bears) and in the fall (for cow/calf elk).

By taking a shooting class or booking another hunt with us, you will get to know us and the type of country that we operate in. You will be able to come on your mule deer hunt with a clear understanding about what you are getting into and what to expect on your hunt. You will have a much better idea of what skills you will need and what gear you should have to make your mule deer hunt more enjoyable and successful. Also, we will get to know you and your expectations and abilities better.

Our mule deer hunts are the most challenging of any of our hunts. It is very important to us that your hunt is the best that it can possibly be. It has become apparent that the better you understand what your hunt will be like, the better your hunt will be. Trying to explain this mule deer hunt in text, or over the phone is just not sufficient. You just need to experience some things yourself in order to understand them. We want you to be sure that this is the hunt for you and we want you to be well prepared to be successful on your hunt.

Please call or email if you have any questions or would like more information about any of the classes or hunts that we have to offer.

To book a spot in our shooting class, simply fill out a booking form (CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD PDF) and send it to us along with your $1000.00 deposit.

To book a spot in our shooting class, simply fill out a booking form (CLICK HERE to DOWNLOAD PDF) and send it to us along with your $1000.00 deposit.

Shooting classes are three days of instruction. You are invited to stay at our forest camp the night before the class starts and we will provide your accommodations during the class up until 5pm the final day of instruction. All meals are provided during the class. Accommodations are at our forest camp with wall tents. Each tent has a wood stove and cots & pillows are provided. You will need to bring a sleeping bag with you.

Bring the rifle that you are planning on hunting with as well as about 200 rounds of the ammo that you want to shoot. This class is geared toward hunting scenarios, so bring the things that you would for a hunt (shooting sticks, bipods, pack, etc.). Please call or email if you have any questions or would like more information.